


Room to Grow

by Dayglo



Series: Connect. Disconnect. [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Background Jane Foster/Thor, Gen, Jane's mom, Song-inspired, fallout from CA:WS, voice of Tony Stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-19
Updated: 2014-09-19
Packaged: 2018-02-18 00:31:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2328677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dayglo/pseuds/Dayglo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The younger woman flopped on the couch and threw her head back, dark, curly hair tumbling all over the place.  "Yeah."  They were both silent for a moment, until Darcy suddenly sprung back up, eyes alight.</p>
<p>Jane backed away a step.  "No."</p>
<p>Darcy pouted.  "You don't even know what I was going to say."</p>
<p>She shook her head determinedly.  "Doesn't matter, I know that look."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>After the events of Captain America:Winter Soldier, everything changes.  For everyone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Room to Grow

_Now that she's back in the atmosphere_

_With drops of Jupiter in her hair_

 

Jane chewed on the end of her pen as she looked at her notes.  She was so close, she just needed to figure out what she was missing...

"Jane!"

Jane ignored Darcy, but groaned when she only turned the TV up in retaliation.  "Darce, keep it down, will you?  I've almost got this."  She went back to her work.

" _Jane!_ "  The change in tone finally made her look up.  It was the tone she usually saved for hostile alien situations.  God, Jane really couldn't deal with hostile aliens today. 

She forgot everything when she turned around in time to see a helicarrier slam into the Triskelion.  "Oh my God."

Her mother walked into the living room, digging through her purse on her way out the door.  "What's all the noise about?"  She looked up when she was greeted with silence.  Her bag hit the floor as she took in the scene playing out live on TV.

They silently watched the footage side by side until Thor and Erik burst in the door.

"Dearest Jane, have you seen the news?" They turned to him, numb shock on their faces.  "I must go."

She gestured to the TV.  "Where?!"

Thor watched the horrific footage in contemplation.  "I will go to New York." He gestured to the TV.  "It is near to this is it not?"

Jane reluctantly nodded.  "It's not that far, especially for you."

"Then that is what I shall do.  I will not leave my shield brethren and sisters to fight this alone."

"What are you going to do once you get to New York?"

Thor was quiet for a moment, before silently rushing to the room he shared with Jane.  He returned triumphantly waving a piece of paper.  "Tony Stark gave this to me after the Battle of New York.  He said should I ever return to Midgard and be in need of assistance, to have someone call the number for me."

Darcy raised an incredulous eyebrow.  "You have _Tony Stark's_ phone number?!"

Thor turned to her, nonplussed.  "Aye, I consider him a friend."  He looked at the paper.  "Should I not?"

Jane waved her hand dismissively at Darcy and reached for the paper with the other.  "It's fine, ignore her."

"Hey!"

Jane tapped in the number, then handed it back to Thor before anyone picked up.  She'd had enough of a day without trying to talk to Tony Stark without sounding like an idiot.  Thor carefully took the tiny phone from Jane.  "Man of Iron, have you seen what has befallen our comrades?"

Erik cleared his throat.  "I need to leave now; if S.H.I.E.L.D.'s gone, so is my legal protection."

Jane closed her eyes briefly.  Everything had been normal this morning.  By tomorrow, everyone would be gone.  She opened her eyes back up.  Nothing to do but get on with it, then.  She looked at Erik, the man who had been like a father to her when she'd had none, who had stood by her through all this madness and paid so, so dearly for it.  She nodded resignedly.  "I know, let us know from time to time that you're safe, okay?"

He nodded and left the room, Jane's mother following him, muttering something about needing a drink.

Jane sadly watched them go, until her attention was caught by Thor finishing his call.  She took the phone from him before he could break it and ended the call.  "So?"

He looked out the window, already halfway gone.  "I am sorry Jane, I must leave now."

She glanced at Darcy, and was somehow unsurprised to see her already wandering around the living room throwing Jane's scattered books into a box.  "We'll be behind you.  It might take a few days, but we'll get to New York. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s going to need all the help they can get."

Thor nodded solemnly, kissed her quickly, sketched a wave to Darcy, then stepped out onto the balcony and was gone.  Jane looked out the window for a moment, then went to find her mother.  When she came back from that delightful conversation, she re-entered the living room to find Darcy chucking her phone onto the couch, then pulling her hair in frustration.  Jane sighed, "What?"

Darcy's arms flailed wildly at her sides.  "We have a problem, they're not letting anything fly into D.C."  She wiggled her hand at the television.  "Because of, you know, that."

Jane nodded, not seeing the issue.  "So? We're trying to get to New York, not D.C."

Darcy huffed at her in exasperation, as though she were being deliberately slow.  "Where do you think they're rerouting all the planes?"

She froze in realization.  "Oh."

The younger woman flopped on the couch and threw her head back, dark, curly hair tumbling all over the place.  "Yeah."  They were both silent for a moment, until Darcy suddenly sprung back up, eyes alight.

Jane backed away a step.  "No."

Darcy pouted.  "You don't even know what I was going to say."

She shook her head determinedly.  "Doesn't matter, I know that look."

Darcy walked slowly toward her, hands out in front of her like she was trying to calm a wounded animal.  "Janie, you know all my ideas are good ones, and this one's a great one, one of the best..." Jane was so busy listening to her rambling, trying to catch the trick, she missed Darcy darting to the side and around her, snatching Jane's phone from the table behind her. 

She tried to grab her, but missed.  "Hey!"

Darcy danced out of reach as she scrolled through the phone, crowing in triumph as she put it to her ear.  "Hey, Man of Iron, this is Jane's intern.  We're trying to follow Thor, but can't get a flight out of London.  Anything you can do?"

Oh, God.  "Darcy!"  Jane grabbed the phone from her hand.  "Mr. Stark, I am _so_ sorry about her."

She heard a laugh.  "She really your intern?"

Jane glared at her and Darcy stared unrepentantly back.  "Unfortunately."

Another chuckle, sad and strained, but real.  "I like her.  I'll send my jet over, is tomorrow okay?"

Jane stammered for a moment, unable to actually get any sounds out of her mouth.  Darcy elbowed her hard in the ribs, and she finally got a grip.  "Uh, yeah, that's fine.  Thank you so much, Mr. Stark."

She could almost _hear_ the eye roll.  "It's fine.  Trust me, I've heard enough about you from Thor.  Might as well get you over here for this mess, since you missed out on the last one.  Gotta go."  He was gone before she could get another word out. 

Jane stared at the phone in shock.  "So, that happened."

Darcy tapped her foot impatiently.  "So, _what_ happened."

She snapped out of it and looked up.  "Apparently, we're flying to New York tomorrow on Tony Stark's private jet."

Darcy did some ridiculous happy dance.  "Private jet, awesome.  Plus, that means we can just bring all your equipment with us, thank _God_.  It's a major pain in the ass shipping all that crap overseas."

Jane looked at her hesitantly.  "We can't take Ian.  We don't know him well enough to know we can trust him with this."  She pointed at the television.  "All those S.H.I.E.L.D. agents that were really HYDRA.  We just don't know.  I'm sorry, Darce."

Darcy had her phone out and had started dialing before Jane even finished her explanation.  "Hey babe, yeah it's me.  Sorry, but I gotta let you go.  Super secret spy stuff.  It was a blast though.  Bye."  She turned to Jane.  "'Kay, boss. Now what?" Jane stared at her a moment, mouth gaping open, lost for words. Darcy began to shift uncomfortably.  "Geez, close your mouth, you're gonna catch flies like that. I'm gonna start packing everything; go wade through all that crap on your table, I'm not touching anything science-y."

Jane blinked, unable to express the thoughts running through her mind.  "Yes, okay.  I'll do that."  She turned around to head to the table, when she noticed Darcy was still standing in the doorway, staring at her.  "Darce?"

She opened her mouth, then snapped it back shut, as though she'd changed her mind about what she was going to say.  Jane waited, used to Darcy's time-lapse brain-to-mouth filter.  The other woman tried again, "I would just like to point out I never did get my six credits for this gig."

Jane looked at her sadly, a thousand regrets flickering across her face.  "I know."

Darcy nodded, popping her gum as she watched the news replay the helicarrier crashing into the Triskelion.  "Just making sure.  Let's blow this popsicle stand, we've got work to do."

 

_Can you imagine no love, pride,_

_Deep-fried chicken_

_Your best friend always sticking up for you_

**Author's Note:**

> Title and lyrics at the beginning and end are from Drops of Jupiter by Train.


End file.
